Forever Hollow: Aerial Combat Unit

After arriving at his apartment, Lucian desperately searches for the porcelain statue. However, an unexpected surprise is waiting for Lucian. The Aerial Combat Unit.

Lucian nodded and steeled himself. Small punched through the window and cleared the glass with his pistol. Lucian crawled into the apartment and crept through the living room in search of the china monkey.

He found the coffee table with his shin and stifled a yelp. He limped to the couch and searched the cushions to no avail.

“Where is it?” he whispered to himself. He walked through the darkness. “Come on,” he exclaimed. The lights in the living room came on, and the television blared to life. Lucian cringed at the noise, but the image that appeared on the screen drew his attention. He saw images of himself and Genevieve all over the different frames. A journalist on one channel was in the middle of an explanation.

“…recently added these two to their list of wanted terrorists. They were recently spotted in the Potter’s Crescent district of Brightwater and have, with the aid of other known terrorists, engaged several federal agents, killing several. If anyone has any information as to the whereabouts of these two fugitives...”

Lucian muted the television.

“What’s going on?” Small yelled through the window.

“Sorry,” said Lucian.

“Just get the statue and get out here!”

Lucian spied the monkey statue smiling mischievously at him from the top of the bookshelf. He snatched the statue off the shelf and stuffed it into his backpack just as Small spilled through the window.

“Kill the lights,” he demanded.

Lucian commanded the lights and television off, and the two were surrounded in darkness again.

“I got it, let’s go,” said Lucian.

“Too late,” hissed Small. “You took too long. Where’s that evac?” he said into his radio.

“Few minutes out,” replied Gold.

Small cursed, and at that moment Lucian heard what had spooked Small. A silent, electric whir surrounded them. It grew steadily louder and hovered over the apartment building.

“What is that?” asked Lucian, catching the worried look in Small’s eyes.

“ACUs. Aerial Combat Units.” Small chuckled. “We must have really gotten under their skin if they’re sending out one of these.”

Small and Lucian approached the window and looked out. Lucian saw the small shadow hovering in the air. It looked too small for an aircraft. Small grabbed Lucian by the arm and jerked him away from the window, and they ran for the couch. They dove over the backside of the couch as a barrage of gunfire rained through the window, filling the living room walls with holes.

The assault shredded everything in the living room. Lucian tucked his chin into his chest and curled into the fetal position. When the gunfire abated, Small yanked Lucian to his feet.

“Let’s go!” he yelled as they ran for the front door.

Small kicked the door out of the doorjamb and found a GenRep waiting on the other side. Small put his Desert Eagle to the GenRep’s forehead before it could react and sent it crashing backwards to the floor.

They barreled down the steps of the complex and met two more GenReps in the lobby. Lucian and Small each took care of one. They could still hear the electric hovering of the ACU outside. Just outside the entryway, a shadow filled the lamplit street as the ACU descended. The oversized robot formed a rough shape of a man but did not have skin coverings like the GenReps. One large blue eye glowed in the middle of its “head”. The ACU readied two mounted Gatling guns, and Small screamed in frustration.

Sparks flashed across the ACU’s body, and it took to the air again as a black SUV screeched to a halt with Gold hanging out the passenger window laying down covering fire with a machine gun.

Lucian and Small crashed through the front doors of the apartment building and threw themselves into the back seats. Genevieve sat in the driver’s seat and pulled a quick U-turn, fishtailing down the icy road. Grey Wolfe sat in the very back seat with a splint wrapped around his right leg. Gold, Small, and Pyro all fired upon relentless groups of GenReps in pursuit as they sped through the city streets.

As they neared the outskirts of the city thinking they were in the clear, a slew of bullets rang against the back end of the SUV.

“That ACU’s back,” screamed Small. “Get us out of here!”

“It’s too fast,” said Genevieve.

“I got it,” said Pyro crawling into the back. When he reappeared, he had a shoulder-mounted rocket launcher with him. He crawled back up to the middle seats. “Open the roof,” he said to Gold.

The roof of the SUV folded back onto itself, and Pyro stood up and took aim at the ACU. The Gatling guns silenced, and a metallic thunk sounded from a forearm barrel on the ACU. The unseen bomb exploded in the road ahead of them, causing Genevieve to swerve violently in order to miss the gaping hole that it left. Pyro crashed into Small.

“Strap me in,” cried Pyro.

Small grabbed a harness from the floorboard, and he and Lucian worked to strap Pyro as securely as possible to the seat. Pyro steadied himself as more mortars blasted holes around the speeding vehicle. He stared through the scope, trying to lock onto his target.

“This wouldn’t have happened if you had just listened to me, boss,” Pyro said to Small.

“Oh, shut up, Pyro,” replied Small. “Just take that thing down.”

The targeting computer indicated that it had a solid lock. Pyro squeezed the trigger, and large clawed bullet shot out of the barrel. The barbed tips lodged into the chest cavity of the ACU. A small diamond-tipped drill bit worked through the hardened exoskeleton. A small, mechanical arm then inserted a tiny silver ball into the hole.

Just before the EMP detonated, one more thunk escaped from the ACU’s forearm. The ACU fell silently to the pavement, and sparks flew as it scraped to a halt. A blue ball of electricity then erupted in front of the SUV.

All of the lights in the vehicle faded to darkness as they drove through the electric field. The vehicle crawled to a stop. The crew sat in utter darkness for a moment before Small spoke up.

“Command, this is Fire team Alpha,” he said into his radio. “Do you copy?”

No response.

“Command, this is Fire team Alpha. Do you copy?”

Still silence.

“Command, come in. This is Fire team Alpha. Do you copy?”

Not even static sounded through the radio. Small growled.

“Great. That EMP knocked out all our equipment. We can’t contact HQ, and we’re hours from base. Not to mention, we can’t stay here long. They’ll track down the last location of that ACU. We won’t stand a chance then.”

Everyone exited the vehicle, and Gold and Pyro emptied it of any remaining weapons. Grey Wolfe hobbled on his good leg, supported by Small.

“Just couldn’t wait to blow that trap, could you, Pyro?” Wolfe muttered.

“How was I supposed to know you were going to stop and make a suicide stand against those GenReps,” justified Pyro. “And besides, I saved this whole group. We’re all lucky I set up that perimeter. We’d all be toast if it weren’t for me.”

“You didn’t have to try to blow up Wolfe, though,” said Gold.

Pyro looked at Gold with his mouth hanging open. “You’re the one that kept screaming, ‘Blow it up! Blow it up! They’re gonna kill us if you don’t.’ You big wuss.”

Gold punched Pyro in the shoulder, knocking him over onto the ground.

“Enough. We need to find some shelter,” said Small. “Dr. Morgan should be able to find us using our last location. Let’s set up a camp down the road. I’ll take the first watch.”

Forever Hollow: To Lucian's Apartment

Now that they have a plan, Lucian has to make it across a GenRep-infested city on the lookout for him with the help of only Agent Small.

Grey Wolfe, Genevieve, and Arcus tiptoed down the back hallway while Small and Lucian went into the restaurant. They passed through the dining room, around old tables with dusty tablecloths and into the kitchen. The stainless steel counters and tables had tarnished from years of disuse. They came to an old aluminum fire door near the walk-in cooler. Small checked his weapon once more before setting his hand on the crash bar.

“Ready?” he asked.

Lucian pulled his Glock out of its holster. He held the gun up by his face, gray eyes all steel. Small pressed on the release lever and inched the door open. Spurts of gunfire already echoed through the night. They crept down the quiet alley, and Small peeked around the corner. He jerked his head back and cursed under his breath.

“They’re all over. No way we can sneak around this one.”

Suddenly, several GenReps hurried down the street. A few of them ran by without noticing either of them in the alley.

“That must be Wolfe,” whispered Small. “We go in ten. Nine, eight, seven...”

Lucian gripped the pistol tightly. Sweat beaded on his forehead.

“Six, five, four...”

Lucian’s heart beat so rapidly that he thought it might actually break through his ribcage. His breath came in short gasps.

“Three, two...”

God be with us.

“One.”

Small dashed around the corner with Lucian in tow. They had run ten paces before the first GenRep spotted them. With an electric burst, Small dispatched two GenReps a few meters ahead of them. Three other GenReps chased them from behind, and two more started across the street.

“Left,” shouted Lucian as they reached the corner.

They rounded the corner and spotted two more GenReps on the opposite side of the street. The GenReps aimed and fired a few shots. Lucian slipped on a patch of ice on the sidewalk, and the bullets embedded in the brick wall behind him as he hit the pavement. Lucian fired at the two GenReps and missed. He felt a great force yank at the collar of his coat.

“This way,” Small screamed as he crashed through the front window of a large toy store. Lucian jumped in behind him amidst a shower of bullets. Small crashed through the aisles, knocking over shelves and setting various toys to life.

Two GenReps climbed in through window and stalked through the store. Glowing green eyes scanned the store, jumping at the movement of every toy and blasting them into oblivion. They moved cautiously through the deluge of motion. The first GenRep’s fedora flew off its head as an EMP round pierced its metal frame and detonated inside. The greed glow faded from its eyes as it crashed through another shelf. Before the second GenRep could react, another bullet from Small, who had hidden atop an upright shelf behind a life-sized toy IFP soldier, put it down.

“Come on,” he said.

They ran to the back of the store, and Small kicked open the door. They hurried down the back alley and down another street, ducking into a nearby park to catch their breath. Small released the empty magazine from his pistol and cast it aside, replacing a fresh clip into his Desert Eagle.

“How much further?” asked Small.

“This is the park near my place,” wheezed Lucian. “Just a few more blocks east.”

They snuck to the east entrance of the park and looked out. A group of GenReps combed the area to the north. Small took a grenade from his coat pocket and lobbed it over the group of GenReps. When the grenade exploded, the GenReps froze, and Small took off across the street, taking out three GenReps to his right with as many bullets. Lucian hurried behind.

They rounded the corner and headed east again. The snow fell heavily now, and Lucian had a difficult time seeing through the storm. Small fired at two GenReps ahead of them, but Lucian noticed a GenRep on a balcony above Small. Lucian fired several shots up at the GenRep before it slumped over.

“Come on,” yelled Lucian. “Down that alley.” They crossed the street, and Small lobbed another grenade behind them, disabling more GenReps in pursuit.

They hustled down the alleyway, and then turned to run up another. Lucian halted in the darkness and pointed up to a fire escape. They climbed the ladder and then up several levels of stairs to the window of Lucian’s apartment. Lucian tried the window but found it locked. He looked to Small.

“Ready for evac?” Small said into his radio in a low voice, loading another clip into his pistol.

“Roger that,” Gold replied. “Why have a lock on your location.”

Small looked to Lucian. “Get in, get it, and get out.”

Lucian and Genevieve: Since when do you carry a gun?

When last we left Lucian Pope, his normal, predictable life was interrupted when his ex-wife Genevieve showed up in trouble. Upon arriving at his apartment, Lucian soon finds himself on the wanted terrorist list alongside Genevieve.

The following scene is the final one of the first chapter of Forever Hollow. Lucian is finally throw in the midst of the action, like the epic heroes he idolizes. However, Lucian quickly finds out that being a hero isn't everything it's romanticized to be.

Here we see a timid, inexperienced Lucian juxtaposed with the more confident, but still very much afraid, Genevieve. The two of them have such a fun chemistry throughout the novel.

“What in the hell is happening?” Lucian said.

“I don’t know, Luc. This is how they work.”

Genevieve led Lucian quickly from the building. Turning to her right, she froze immediately like a gazelle spotting a hungry lion. Lucian saw the trench coat at the end of the block walking toward them. They were already walking in the opposite direction when the trench coat noticed Genevieve.

She pulled Lucian around the corner and into the first two men who had looked into the pizzeria earlier. They both reached into their coats, but Genevieve threw a shoulder into one of the men, knocking him into the other.

“Run!” she screamed as she yanked Lucian into the street.

They darted across the street, narrowly dodging a car as it sped by. They ducked into an alley between an old post office and small office building. Two bricks exploded as bullets impacted. The third man stood at the corner across the street opening fire on Lucian and Genevieve.

They ran around another corner and into a brick wall that towered over them. Genevieve looked around frantically. A trash incinerator, some discarded boxes, and an out-of-order computer terminal. She spotted a fire escape ladder on the outer wall of the office building and pulled it down.

“Up here, quickly,” she commanded.

They climbed to the third floor before taking a break. Bullets chased them as the three men appeared around the corner. Genevieve pulled a micropistol out of her handbag. She put two bullets through the window and cleared out the rest of the glass. Lucian stared wide-eyed.

“Since when do you carry a gun?”

“Since people started trying to kill me,” she said. “Split up. You go through here. I’ll head up to the roof. Meet me at our spot.” She thrust the micropistol in his hand and kissed him quickly on the cheek. “Good luck.”

She hurried up the ladder. Lucian looked down and saw the three men climbing the fire escape ladder. He ducked through the window and scanned the small office space for an exit as he tiptoed past a cubicle.

He stumbled through the darkness and found the entrance. As he opened the door, he heard two sounds: the crackling of glass under heavy footsteps and the siren of an alarm. Puffs of air spat, and bullets pockmarked the wall around the door. Lucian jumped and ducked, firing high-pitched shots wildly through the room. Sparks flew from the lights in the ceiling as the bullets went astray.

Lucian rushed through the doorway and down the hall. He came to the elevator and had to choose: elevator or stairwell? Think, Lucian, think. After jamming the up button for the elevator, he began to chew on a knuckle. He checked the hallway again. No sign of the man.

The soft electric bell dinged, and the door slid open. Lucian hurried in and punched the button for the top floor. As the elevator door closed, he squeezed back through and shot across the hall through the double doors to the stairwell. He rushed down two flights of stairs, pausing between the first and second floor.

As he caught his breath, he listened for his pursuer. Nothing. He crept down the stairs like a whisper. He exited into the foyer of the building and checked the area. Still clear. He listened to the machines buzz and hum as they kept their electronic eyes on him. Tucking his chin and hunching his shoulders, he edged toward the exit.

He had almost made it to the front door when the chime of the elevator echoed through his head. Out stepped the trench coat. Lucian saw the flicker in the man’s green eyes before training the pistol on Lucian. Panicked, Lucian popped off a round from his micropistol. The man’s head jerked backwards, and he fell onto his back. The stray shots from the trench coat shattered the glass doors behind Lucian.

Lucian scrambled through the door and sprinted down the sidewalk, nearly tackling an elderly woman. He clumsily pirouetted around the woman and jetted across the street and down another sidewalk. Sleet pelted him as he ran for what seemed like hours before looking back or slowing down. He felt lightning coursing through his veins, and droplets of ice seemed to cling to the back of his neck.

The street dead-ended into another. Lucian turned right and then another quick left across the street. He continued down the street westward until he crossed a wide avenue into a darkened park.

Work in Progress: Forever Hollow

Here's an excerpt from my science fiction novel, Forever Hollow. The story follows Lucian Pope, a man who doesn't understand society's total reliance upon technology. His feelings that humanity has become nothing more than robotic entities are more true than he realizes when his ex-wife, Genevieve, appears and Lucian learns the truth that Brightwater is inhabited by cyborgs disguised as humans. In order maintain control over humanity, the cyborgs find ways of ridding the city of those who think and question too much. Below is the opening scene to the novel.

“Lies!” shouted a man with narrow, brown eyes. “I’m telling you, they’re all lies! I didn’t do anything wrong. They contacted me, and I refused to help them.”

The young man’s muscles bulged through his dark blue button-up shirt in his attempt to fight against the two silent agents dragging him through the Digitech office. Most of the workers worked quietly, eyes glued to the crystal screens in front of them and not on the commotion in the office. No one said a word as the men in tan trench coats lugged the young man toward the elevator. He continued to call for help, but nobody so much as turned in his direction.

Nobody save Lucian Pope.

Lucian had watched the young man’s predicament with measured interest. Alexander Houston. Hard worker. Always on time with his assignments. Lucian wondered what Alexander had done wrong to warrant a submission of indictment to the ministry from someone. Lucian had never thought of Alexander as a troublemaker. Of course, many people change masks from work to home. Lucian knew that well enough.

He had heard the stories. “They” usually came in the middle of the night or found you in a dark alley by yourself. Here today, gone tonight. No questions asked. No tears shed. Your desk emptied and reset as if you never existed.

These guys aren’t “them” though, Lucian thought. Or are they?

The two men had flashed a pair of ID badges when they had first approached the secretary’s desk. They never said a word. They never had to. The Federation Investigators never had to explain themselves. They came in and took what they needed and left without a word.

Something just doesn’t add up.

The thought plagued Lucian for the rest of the afternoon as he finished the data file he had worked on the past few days. His fingers flew over the projected image of a keyboard on his cubicle desk. The small rectangle of crystal prompted him to save. After tapping “OK”, he slipped into his leather jacket and headed to the elevator. His desk lamp and computer screen powered down when he moved out of the desk’s sensory range. Glancing at his watch, he thought that he could make it to the antique shop and browse around a bit before it closed. Seventy floors later, Lucian walked into the lobby area of the Digitech building.

Outside, Lucian saw Charlie, a co-worker of his, standing out on the sidewalk staring blankly. Lucian walked up to him and waved a hand in front of Charlie’s face.

“Charlie? Hey, Charlie. You okay?”

The little plump man jumped as if from a daze. He blinked a few times, and his brown eyes seemed refocus. He looked at Lucian through a pair of wide-framed glasses and smiled broadly.

“Lucian! Hey, it’s great to see you,” Charlie beamed. “How have you been?”

Lucian’s brow wrinkled. “Charlie. We just saw each other a few minutes ago.” A puzzled look crossed Charlie’s face. “We just left work, Charlie. Look, there’s the door to our building right there.”

Charlie stared at the Digitech sign as though seeing it for the first time. He took off his glasses and tapped on the lenses a few times. Images flickered in the lenses as Charlie replaced glasses on his nose. Charlie gasped before looking back at Lucian.

“Lucian! Hey! Sorry, my glasses haven’t been working properly lately. I need to take them in and get the lenses replaced, but who can really find their way around for the few days it takes them to fix these things, am I right?”

Lucian gave Charlie and noncommittal grunt.

“I mean, I just stepped outside a minute ago and completely forget where I was going. Strange, huh?”

“Yeah, strange,” Lucian said vaguely.

“Ah,” said Charlie with an energetic nod. “I was going home.” Lucian could see the transparent map in Charlie’s glasses with a highlighted path. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, Lucian.”

“Right,” said Lucian. “See you.”

Lucian stood on the sidewalk a few more minutes looking around. Most of the people who walked by wore glasses similar to Charlie’s. Their eyes never seemed to look past the frames to the rest of their surroundings. Occasionally, someone would stop mid-stride, tap on their lenses, and then continue on their way. Lucian shook his head and walked down the sidewalk toward the old antique shop.